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Show I THE WORK OF THE FRIARS. ! (Chicago Tribune.) The discussion of the Philippine friar ! question in the press has been confined con-fined to a great extent to the consideration con-sideration of the evils of their presence pres-ence in the archipelago. In the current cur-rent number of the North American Review Mr. Stephen Bonsai, who .ias seen a good deal of the Philippines, presents the friars side of the case. Mr. Bonsai is a broad minded Catholic, Cath-olic, and, although he does not urge the retention of the friars in the archipelago, archi-pelago, he sets forth clearly the work they have done for civilization. In the first place, such civilization as there is in the Philippine was brought there by the friars. It is due to them that there are six or seven million Christians out of a population pop-ulation of eight or ten millions. They designed the bridges, laid down the roads, established the schools and founded the towns which had led the Filipinos as far as they have come on the road to civilization. They were the religious, commercial and political guardians of the people. Don Jose de la Gandara, once captain general of the Philippines, said of them: "The members of the religious orders are the most efficient and powerful instruments in-struments of government at the disposal dis-posal of the. governor general in or dinary times and at all times. In the day of danger and rnergency they are absolutely indispensable. Government would be impossible were it not for the friars. ; Their influence is great because of the reverence which their sacred office inspires, because their residence is permanent, and because they are thoroughly acquainted with the languages, the customs and the history df the people they seek to uplift. up-lift. Today it may be said without exaggeration that the government cf the Philippines without the friars would be an impossibility." ' - . Later, Prinio de Rivera, who lias been regarded as no friend of . the religious, reported to his successor as follows: "I do not believe the, friars cam be replaced, it is true that among them are vicious men who; commit abuses, but these individuals are . exceptional, and I believe the evils of the system can be remedied. without goingt to extreme ex-treme measures.. : It is certain that the immense majority of the friars are good men, worthy ot every consideration, considera-tion, deserving of much praise." In so far as ; he goes Mr.- Eonsal is ! ilfft Rut Via Hnc rnt trn far pnmipft. The friars took, lands so that they might teach the . people agriculture. Quite naturally they kept them. Those lands are in the most thickly populated popu-lated part of Luzon, and it is on them or near them . that all insurrections have begun. Rightly or wrongly, the people hate the friars because they owned the great estates and because j they were the instruments of the Span-I Span-I ish government. It is for this reason 1 that the Meld", in which they once worked well is closed to them. "It is expected that they, should suffer for the good of the people." |